DIY & Crafts

Natural DIY Weed Killer Recipe – Hands Down the Best Way to Kill Weeds

by craftmin | December 16, 2017

A vinegar is not only used as an additional ingredient and seasoning in the kitchen, but in organic gardening, vinegar is popular as a natural and harmless DIY weed killer.

Vinegar works as a natural weed killer because it contains acetic acid, so the higher the dosage of acetic acid the vinegar contains, the more lethal and dangerous it is to the unwanted weeds.

The vinegar used for cooking purposes however, contains only a small dosage of acetic acid, so if you are facing a dire weed problem, you should buy a stronger vinegar with a higher acetic acid content.

VINEGAR AS AN ORGANIC DIY WEED KILLER

Limitations of Vinegar:

If the weeds you are facing are lawn weeds, carefully apply the vinegar directly to the unwanted weeds themselves. Do not let the vinegar touch your grass.

The vinegar is a natural product, but natural is not synonymous to being harmless. If not used carefully and properly, vinegar can inflict harm to your grass as well.

To ensure that your grass is not be damaged by the vinegar, paint the vinegar solution directly onto the weeds with a paint brush. If you opt to use a spray bottle, ensure that it is right next to your target weed to avoid unwanted damage to your grass.

Due to this limitation, the use of vinegar as an effective DIY weed killer is more suitable for areas that do not contain plants and grass.

Vinegar is more lethal to younger weeds and to weeds with a yearly life cycle. If the weeds are already old, you will need to apply a second coat of vinegar to the weeds in order to kill them.

Proper application of vinegar as a DIY weed killer:

Before engaging in a battle with the unwanted weeds, remember the old adage “Know your enemy!”

Take the time to do some research on the type of weeds you need to fight before jumping to the conclusion that the vinegar serves as their Kryptonite.

If you are battling an annual weed, start the war right before they set seed to prevent them from multiplying and spawning new headaches. Depending on the type of weed you are faced with, this may be in the pring or summer, and, if you are lucky, one coat of vinegar could be enough to get rid of them!

Perennial weeds on the other hand, are not that easy to kill. For example, in the case of Dandelions, it is better to snap the flowers off the dandelions to prevent further propagation. However, even with this alternative solution, dandelions can survive through winter, by living through their roots. Therefore, preventing seed propagation will never be enough to eradicate them.

Basically, if it is a dandelion, it is better to consistently apply vinegar to this unwanted perennial weed. Each time you apply vinegar, the dandelion dies a little bit more. With continuous spraying of your diy weed killer, the dandelion will eventually fall!

Another way to enhance the effectiveness of vinegar as a weed killer is to mix it with a surfactant. The surfactant doesn’t kill the weed; instead, it supports and helps the vinegar to do a better job of killing the weed. How? Simply by prolonging the contact the vinegar has with the leaf of the weed, so it has a higher chance of penetrating the wall of the weeds. This is easier said than done, because the leaf is protected by a coat of special wax that can repulse attacks. The role of a surfactant is to counteract this defense, thereby allowing the vinegar solution to penetrate and kill the weed.

In DIY weed killer recipes, dish washing soaps can be mixed with vinegar to act as a surfactant. The advised quantity is one ounce of dish washing soap per gallon of vinegar.

Best time to apply vinegar as a DIY weed killer:

Why is a sunny day recommended? First, the leaves must be saturated with the vinegar, and if it is raining, raindrops would wash the vinegar off the leaves. Second, the brutal damage of the vinegar to the weeds will only begin its course days after the first application, once the sun rays hit the leaves.

A more lethal Vinegar:

It is possible to get hold of products with higher acetic acid content than sold in normal grocery stores. Such products are available at farmer’s stores and even in restaurant supply business.

CAUTION: Please be reminded that the higher the dosage of acetic acid is, the less safe the product can be.

With the tips provided in this DIY Weed killer tutorial, I know that you are more than ready to win your battles against those unwanted weeds! Just keep the tips, reminders, and cautions to heart and may the odds be forever in your favor!